Off the Beaten Path

In Singapore, a city-state filled with chains and superstores, there's a surprising number of independent bookstores that are part of a growing trend toward locally owned shops that focus on quality over quantity. Here's a look at a few noteworthy ones.

Updated Sept. 14, 2011 9:38 p.m. ET

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BooksActually is considered the pioneer of independent booksellers in Singapore. Opened by Karen Wai and Kenny Leck six years ago, it now publishes books by local writers under its imprint, Math Paper Press.BooksActually, No. 9 Yong Siak St., Singapore.Shibani Mahtani for The Wall Street Journal…

Born out of a series called Babette's Feast, a regular writers' gathering, BooksActually has published two chapbooks, a story-essay by Jason Wee and a poetry collection by Cyril Wong. Here, colored pencils displayed at the store.
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In addition to literature, BooksActually features books on Singapore, indie-rock CDs such as Broken Social Scene and Vivian Girls and even vintage Pez dispensers.
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Owned by Shannon Ong and her partner Mike Foo, Woods in the Books is Singapore's only independent bookstore specializing in picture books, a genre both of them collect.
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The store has inhabited a Club Street shophouse in Singapore's Chinatown area for two years.
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Mr. Scotti, a white maltese owned by the couple, is a permanent feature in the shop, near the frame at the cash register saying 'I'm the Boss.'
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Owned by four book lovers with day jobs, Littered With Books was recently voted Best New Bookstore by TimeOut Singapore.
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It has been in Singapore's Duxton Hill area since October and has become a fan favorite with a selection that ranges from food writing to science fiction. The two-story shop also hosts exhibitions, literary readings and talks.
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Not quite a bookstore, not quite a cafe, not quite a bar and not quite an exhibition space, Pigeonhole is the newest addition to Singapore's trendy Duxton Hill area.
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Rayner Lim, who opened the space six months ago with his girlfriend, describes it as a 'multi-use space.' Books on British trade unions, Marxist philosophy and feminist literature – titles that Singaporeans would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere -- fill Pigeonhole's shelves, many of them bought from overseas markets.
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